Over the centuries, Chinese civilization has produced many important inventions and innovations, including paper, printing, porcelain, the magnetic compass, and gunpowder.

Similarly, China has produced a host of exceptional and accomplished individuals in all fields of human endeavor. Famous People of China profiles a handful of remarkable figures from China's long history.

Among the intriguing people included in this volume are Confucius, China's most influential philosopher; the emperor Qin Shihuang, who unified China and built the Great Wall; the beloved poet Su Dongpo; and Zheng He, whose epic seagoing expeditions predated the famous Spanish and Portuguese voyages of exploration by more than half a century.